GoPiGo OS entering Beta 1

GoPiGo
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We are looking for a few beta testers to play with our newest iteration of the GoPiGo operating system. A mix of old and new, GoPiGo OS answers the needs that our users have shared with us.

This is a BETA version!

Before you install this new image, please make sure your SD card is at least 16G in size. It’s a pretty big download too.
https://dexterindustries.com//downloads/gopigo_os_beta1

Wifi Connectivity

On the main page, you will notice a Wifi icon. You can switch GoPiGo OS from being its own access point, to being connected to your local wifi.

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You will need to supply your Wifi information :

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Here’s how to interpret the antenna LED colours:

  1. Green: broadcasting an access point, and ready to accept connections

  2. Blue: broadcasting an access point, and at least one person is connected

  3. Yellow: not broadcasting an access point, and the robot is directly connected to the surrounding wifi. You may be able to connect to it via its hostname, or you can connect to it by using its IP address. The robot will let you know which IP address it got from the network if you plug earbuds directly in the Pi audio jack. Make sure to start listening when you switch modes.

Things to know about the wifi feature:
Every boot-up will be in Access Point mode, this allows you to take the robot with you, to school or a friend’s place, and always be able to talk to it. It also means that on every boot-up, you will have to connect to the robot access point and reconnect it to your home wifi.

If you know that the robot will always stay home, you can disable this and take full responsibility. Go to the Jupyter terminal and type in :

sudo systemctl disable start_as_access_point.service

Note that the jupyter user now has sudo access, and its password is still jupyter.

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Should you ever need to take the robot elsewhere, you will have to remember to run

sudo systemctl enable start_as_access_point.service

before you leave!

Open system

GoPiGo OS is now open! Yes, we heard you! You are now free to SSH, or connect using a VNC viewer.

Things to know:

  1. The option to use the browser as a vnc viewer is only available with Raspbian for Robots. However if installing a VNC viewer on your computer is an option, then Raspbian for Robots is no longer required.

  2. The :1 that used to be necessary to connect to the VNC server is no longer needed. Just use the hostname or IP address directly.

  3. The password stays the same: robots1234

  4. The tools on the desktop are still the same.

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Please note the limitation that you cannot switch from Access Point mode to Wifi mode through VNC. It has to be done via the browser.

Support for Pi4.

Yes, GoPiGo OS supports all versions of the Pi4. It is indeed running Buster and all PIs can be used from the Pi2 and up.

Fresh JupyterLab

JupyterLab is currently running version 2.1.3 and we’re waiting with bated breath for the amazing JupyterLab 3.
In the meantime this version has the much-asked-for search option:

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Fresh Python Libraries

The Python libraries have been updated to newer versions. Please note that tensorflow lite is now installed, and a face recognition library is available (see https://pypi.org/project/face-recognition/)

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Drive Screen

If your robot has a camera, the drive screen will let you have a robot-eyes view so you can pester your sleeping dog (animal abuse strongly discouraged!)

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Combine this with the Wifi option, and you can connect your robot to the internet and let long-distance friends play with your dog! (this requires changes to your home router that we cannot help with.)

Python3 as the default

Both Python3 (3.7) and Python 2.7 are on the SD card. However, if you simply type ‘python’ you will find yourself in python3, not in python2. This is different than what is found on regular Raspberry Pi OS.

Battery Gauge

The battery gauge is gone. The new Li-ion battery keeps a steady voltage for a long time and the need to keep an eye on the battery level is no longer required. There’s plenty of power to last through a class or a workshop!

Python Lessons

The Python lessons under Learn / Python are currently missing. This is already known and will be remedied before the official release.

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Just to clarify, this beta is the “new” Modular Robotics version of DexterOS, right? It still has the blockly editor and the other features of the original DexterOS?

That being the case, would you accept updates and additions to the available blocks? Or other features?

Thanks! I’ve been waiting for this.

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Yes, it’s the next iteration of DexterOS.
Bloxter is untouched (the changes that were planned didn’t make this version, maybe next one)

We don’t have a proposed way of accepting changes at the moment, other than github (note that Bloxter isn’t published on Github for now)

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I played around with the GoPiGo OS Beta1 and could not connect to the VNC server with Remmina or TigerVNC. The error is:
Unknown authentication scheme from VNC server: 13, 5, 6, 130, 192

After I found https://docs.linuxconsulting.mn.it/notes/remmina-vnc-raspberry I downloaded the VNC Viewer from https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/linux/.

It works with the RealVNC Viewer, but only with this viewer.

Will this be changed so that other VNC viewers such as Remmina work without any problems out of the box? Or do you have a hint what I should configure?

I work on linux with ubuntu 20.04.

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I cannot speak to this specifically, @cleoqc might be a better choice.

I suspect that part of the problem is that the Raspberry Pi ships with a “specially licensed” version of Real VNC that only works with other implementations of Real VNC - at least in this case.

What you seem to want to do probably won’t be met by this beta, it’s primarily a teaching tool, and is correspondingly limited.

You can escape 99.999% of all these headaches by installing and using the latest “stable” Raspbian for Robots release:

The software you are using is BETA software, and may already be somewhat obsolete depending on what Cleoqc has accomplished so far. It is NOT intended for any long-term “production” use.

Using Raspbian for Robots eliminates all these restrictions, (along with Jupyter and Bloxter too!), and you can use any browser to create a VNC connection to your 'bot.

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@jimrh Thanks! I tried the Raspbian for Robots, but I have not seen the buster version :expressionless: - I switched to the beta because of preinstalled python 3.7. …now I switch back to Rasbpian for Robots. :slight_smile:

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We are using the VNC server that comes bundled with Raspberry Pi OS (realVNC)
I don’t think we have plans to go with any other server at this point.
There might be some configuration that you can do but I really don’t know anything about Remmima.

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That’s because the Buster version is still considered “experimental” as there are some issues with later updates.

You will be fine if:

  1. You ONLY use the 2019-12-19 version
    and
  2. You do NOT do a “full-upgrade” as there are reports of significant issues in the latest Raspbian/Raspberry Pi OS release from the Raspberry Pi folks themselves.
    Viz.: A posting I authored here:
    Warning: The 2020-10-17 Raspbian for Robots image may have significant issues on the Pi-4

This isn’t just something with the GoPiGo; these issues are being reported by the entire Raspberry Pi community covering virtually every possible use-case.

If you are going to limit yourself to a Pi-3, you can use the Stretch version of Raspbian for Robots, which is more stable and proven, having been beaten senseless for years by @cyclicalobsessive and his 'bot Carl.

I am using the 2019-12-19 version of Raspbian for Robots on a 4 gig Pi-4, and I am having no difficulties, aside from what my own stupidity creates! :wink:

One suggestion:
Because of the limited clearances between the GoPiGo controller board and the Raspberry Pi itself, I recommend using both a heatsink AND a fan if you are going to use either a Pi-3 or a Pi-4 to keep heating to a minimum.